FAMILY OF VIGILANTES FROM DONCASTER AND WARRINGTON EXPOSE OFFENDERS INCLUDING LEE BARTON AND DANIEL BATES IN MANCHESTER

In July 2014, a vigilante couple from Doncaster and Warrington launched a covert operation aimed at catching online paedophiles by posing as underage girls on internet chatrooms. Their motivation stemmed from a personal history—one of them was raped at age 12 in 2006—driving them to combat online child exploitation. Using the pseudonyms Alesha13 and Chloe12, they accessed a chatroom called Teen Chat, where they received numerous responses within minutes.

Lee Barton, 47, of Chestnut Avenue, Doncaster, engaged with the undercover persona Alesha13 under the username Lee5050. He told her he wished to speak privately and then sent sexually explicit messages, later using a webcam to communicate. Claiming he was 18, Barton asked for a face-to-face meeting for sex. During the exchanges, he provided a mobile phone number and inquired whether she was alone and where her parents were. Unbeknownst to him, the couple recorded all interactions and handed the evidence over to police.

Barton was arrested in April of the following year and pleaded guilty to attempting to engage a child in sexual activity. Judge Timothy Mort sentenced him to 21 months in prison, stating that the case ‘illustrated every parent’s worst nightmare.’

Another vigilante posed as a 12-year-old girl named Chloe in April last year, using voice distortion to mask her identity. She was contacted by a user with the username GUEST6546, who was actually Daniel Bates, 36, of Harcourt Close in Warrington. Bates, who has cerebral palsy and was wheelchair-bound, claimed to be 18 and called himself Dave from Harpurhey, Manchester. He asked Chloe to perform a sex act, and he repeated this request during a telephone call. All conversations were recorded and provided to the authorities.

Bates pleaded guilty to attempting to engage a child in sexual activity and was sentenced to 15 months in jail, suspended for 18 months. Both he and Barton received five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Orders.

Philip Moule, 66, from Basildon, Essex, was also targeted by the vigilante couple. He admitted similar charges and was given a three-year community order.